


Heart in my Hands

by freewritingseer



Series: Oofuri RarePair Ship Week [1]
Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, oofurishipweeks, rarepair, rarepair week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-04-12 17:32:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4488438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freewritingseer/pseuds/freewritingseer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 1: [Beginnings]/Alternate</p>
<p>She didn't understand-- no, she just hadn't guessed it, hadn't even considered it for a second. Yet, for him...<br/>It had been eating at him... all this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart in my Hands

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently Oofuri Ship Weeks have been a thing for a while and I'm arriving extremely late to the party.  
> Anyway, I think MihaShino qualifies as a rarepair, so hopefully my work is good enough!

There was nothing remarkable about today, as far as Hanai knew. Practice went well, class was boring; everything was going as usual. Except for Mihashi fluttering about outside the door to Class 7 during lunch period.

The captain raised an eyebrow before delicately tapping the pitcher on the shoulder. Instantly Mihashi lurched back and nearly smacked into the adjacent wall as he spun around. Hanai grimaced as this common behavior, but he shook it off to get to the point.

"Something wrong?" he asked. "You need Abe or something?"

Mihashi shook his head furiously, spluttering halves of words before pausing to collect himself. He always got a sense of annoyance whenever he talked to Hanai, so he thought for a second before speaking.

"No, I... need to talk to Shino'oka..." he said carefully.

"Shino'oka?" Hanai repeated, and Mihashi nodded. There was an awkward pause before Hanai internally sighed. "You need me to go get her?"

"P-Please?" the pitcher whimpered, and the captain patted his shoulder before stepping into the classroom. He had no idea what Mihashi was on about, and he kinda didn't want to know, so he directly went to Shino'oka's desk to let her know that Mihashi wanted to talk to her about something.

"Really?" she inquired. "What about?"

"Hell if I know." he shrugged, and went back to his desk. The vague thought of why Mihashi would go to anybody but Tajima about anything passed through his head, but was promptly forgotten.

"Mihashi?" Shino'oka called when she stepped out into the hallway, and finding the pitcher with his face against the wall for a split second. Once he reacted, he stood up straight and faced her. "Is everything okay? Hanai said you wanted to talk to me."Mihashi nodded carefully, before glancing around to the passing alumni. A dark blush crept across his face.

"I have a... bit of a problem." he muttered. "Can we... talk privately?"

Shino'oka was a bit surprised Mihashi managed to ask that of her, with him being so shy and sporadic. It must be something important.

"Sure thing, lead the way." she said, and the pitcher practically leapt into action. Glancing about nervously to check for a quiet spot, he eventually lead her downstairs and out near the trees. It was nearing the end of lunch period, so most of the students were back inside. The two sat down on one of the provided benches, and quickly fell into silence.

"...So... what was it that you needed to talk to me about?" Shino'oka asked. Mihashi held his breath for a second before staring at the ground.

"I was wondering... if you could help me." he mumbled.

"...With?" she gently urged him to continue.

"Well, uh-- it's kinda... dumb," he muttered, "but... it's about a--a girl."

"A girl." Shino'oka reiterated, nodding slightly. "Is it a girl that you like?"

The immediate response of butchered words and an attempt at an explanation told the manager all that she needed to know.

"Easy, now. It's okay." she managed to keep his attention and he calmed down slowly. "What would you need my help with?"

"I... I kinda want to... tell her." he said so quietly Shino'oka could barely hear. He fiddled with his hands and avoided eye contact with her. "But... I can't--... I just... Um." He glanced up at her before his face took on a deeper shade of red. "Are... are s-secret love letters weird?"

"Love letters?" she echoed, and Mihashi nodded subtly. "No, they're not weird at all! I think they're sweet!" Immediately Mihashi was sitting up straight and made brief eye contact.

"You do?"

"Yeah!" she beamed. "I mean, they have a bad reputation due to some crazy fans of celebrities, but really, it all depends on how they're written."

 "So... do you think I co-uld write... one?" Mihashi asked shyly. "I-I mean, I don't know if she'd like it... or, uh, me..."

"Well, there's really no harm in trying." Shino'oka said. "The worst thing she can possibly say is no." As if deflating, the pitcher sighed, putting his head in his hands. "...Are you scared she'll say no?"

 "N... er, a little." Mihashi peeked out from his fingers to stare at the ground. "I mean... I can't help it- if she says no. I just..." He lowered his hands slightly before glancing back to her. "I guess I, I just want to tell her... If I don't... I don't think I ever will. So that's why... I was thinking I'd just... give her a letter- or-or something."

"So you don't want her to know, that you sent it?" she asked. 

"I'm... not good at writing." he replied. "So I think... she'll know it's me. But that's okay. She might just... ignore it or something."

"Come on, don't give up so fast." Shino'oka said. "I'd like to think I know for a fact that when a girl gets some sort of secret letter she'll adore it! As long as it's written in good taste, of course." 

"You really think so?"

"Sure!" she was practically glowing at this point. "I'll even give you some pointers--!" Before she could even begin, however, the bell signalling the end of the lunch period began to toll. The two, as they ran back inside to their classrooms, decided to discuss it further after classes ended for the day. Shino'oka would make sure to write down some ideas and criteria to frame the pitcher's love confession, just the thought of the impending mystery and emotion had her smiling for the rest of the day. It was just so sweet!

By the time the end of the day rolled around, Shino'oka had compiled a decent list of ideas and suggestions for Mihashi to use. Unbeknownst to the pitcher, however, she had asked a few of her classmates for ideas, and they were more than helpful. She made sure to give it to him after practice, so none of the others, Tajima especially, got their hands on it and end up interrogating the poor guy. He didn't need anymore stress put on him about it. 

Over the next few days, Mihashi would run some questions and ideas by her to get her opinion, before he made the final product, but he refused to let her see any drafts. She didn't nag him about it, though was genuinely curious about what he had written.

It wouldn't take long for her to find out. 

\--

The plan that Mihashi had run by her on the day he'd deliver the letter was simple. Since the team was on campus early for practice, he'd wait for the period of time after practice and before class hours to leave the letter in a place the girl he liked would definitely find it. And of course, where no one would steal it. He wouldn't stick around the area to avoid giving himself away and then the rest would happen on its own.

So as Shino'oka walked into the lobby of the school, lined with shoe lockers, her friends talking about anything and everything, she didn't have the slightest clue as to what awaited her. She glanced around to the other students to try to see if there were any girls pulling a carefully crafted letter out of their lockers, as it was the most common scenario. 

Without looking, she opened her shoe locker and reached inside, placing her hand over what she had thought were her school shoes, only to feel a flat surface and the leafed rigidity of a stem. She froze in place, her heart leaping into her throat before settling down into the pit her stomach.

"Hey, Chiyo, you okay?" Mia asked, noticing the redhead's stunned expression. Shino'oka swallowed thickly before gripping the two items and pulling out a single thornless rose and sealed letter out of the compartment. Mia and the other girls immediately started fussing about it. Where had it come from? Who left it in her locker? What was written in the letter? But Shino'oka felt deaf to it all. She simply stared at the rose in her hand for a good minute before letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. First thing's first; she had to read the letter before saying anything.

So once she sated her friends with a white lie, she hid the items in her bag and excused herself to the restroom before class. She couldn't let anyone else see it, not yet.

\--

Once she made it into one of the stalls in the ladies' restroom, the letter in hand, she could've sworn she forgot how to breathe. She didn't understand-- no, she just hadn't guessed it, hadn't even considered it for a second. Yet, for him...

_It had been eating at him_...

She licked her lips absent-mindedly as she tore open the envelope as carefully as she could at the moment, and pulled out the letter within. There were a number of pages to it, all on the same baseball-themed stationary that was so cute it made her teeth hurt. The penmanship was excellent; she could only imagine how many times he had made a mistake and chose to rewrite it from the start.

_He was so sure he'd be ignored_...

She disregarded the morning bell when it tolled fifteen minutes after she had stowed herself away in the bathroom stall. She had to read this, every word, and definitely more than once. She had been so dense, she felt a need to understand absolutely everything this folded revelation had to offer. It was almost as if she was truly holding his heart in her hands. 

_He could have just told me..._

There would be no proof of her tears, she would ensure that for the time being. But every word, every sentence, pulled something out of her that she had never experienced before, spilling out as tears. Was it anger? Relief even? Who could tell? She sure couldn't. But after she had read Mihashi's letter to satisfaction, she sat in a stuffy, yet warm, silence. She didn't want to move, but she also didn't want anyone to worry either. So after slipping the letter back into her bag, she took the rose and entwined it in her hair. She didn't know why; maybe as a signal to him that she knows now, and will eventually discuss this with him? She could never decide on a reason. Regardless, she went to class, and waited patiently for lunch period, dodging questions about the letter and the rose. She wanted things to be clear before she told anyone anything. She had to be patient and focused.

\--

Meanwhile, in Class 9, Mihashi was in complete shambles. Just like buyer's remorse he was starting to wish he hadn't left the letter. What if it was a mistake? He had lied to her to do it too, would she be angry? He shrank further into his desk as the hours past, and Tajima was nagging him to tell him what was wrong. The pitcher insisted that the cleanup would find out eventually...

And finally lunch period came.

As if the pitcher hadn't been on edge enough as it was, once it was time to eat it almost seemed like he went into hypersensitivity mode. He knew it was coming, and it terrified him. He really didn't want to get yelled at... though Shino'oka had never been known to yell, even when the guys pissed her off. It was just... the sense of foreboding and anticipation. What would she say? Would she say anything at all? Would...

_Would she ignore it--?_

"Mihashi?" Shino'oka's voice snapped the pitcher form his thoughts and nearly had him hiding under his desk. He tried to act like he didn't hear her, but she only called him again. "Mihashi. Can I talk to you for a second?"

He fearfully turned his head to see her at the door, the rose oddly standing out from her hair. It suited her so well...

With a new burst of energy, he got up from his desk, not quite hearing Tajima and Hamada speaking to him, and followed Shino'oka out. He was lead down the hall, downstairs and outside near the trees. Just like four days prior, they were in the same positions: sitting, in silence, before Shino'oka spoke.

"You know... you could've just told me." a slight dip in her voice caught his full attention. Damn it all... She really didn't want to cry, but... She gripped onto his shirt sleeve. She couldn't allow him to run from this, not after what she had read. But Mihashi stayed still, instead taking her gripped hand in his. "I wouldn't have just ignored you..." She rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "You shouldn't have to be scared to talk to me!"

It was slow, and awkward with their arms tangled as they were, but Mihashi made the distinct effort to bring her close in a careful hug. He was already crying, but no longer from the fear, just from the relief her words brought him. Laying his head on her shoulder, he whimpered his apologies and repeated what his letter had already conveyed to her: the anxieties, the wishes, that soft warm feeling he always got when she smiled; everything. And neither of them wanted to let go.

But eventually the tears subsided, the quiet hics being all that remained, and the two felt as if nothing had been lost. And under their whispers of both uncertainty and insecurity, the two walked together, hand in hand. As their new chapter had just begun.

**Author's Note:**

> (I'm legit 98% sure I'm the only one who ships this, ngl)  
> I hope you enjoyed reading it! I certainly enjoyed writing it!


End file.
